Nvidia Corp. is charting its best-ever start to a year, maintaining a rapid upward trajectory with its shares surging nearly 240% in 2023.
The artificial intelligence giant's market capitalization has soared by approximately $128 billion after a nearly 10% rise this month, marking an unprecedented value surge in the first nine trading days of the year for the company.
This development is a positive sign for Nvidia enthusiasts and underscores the ongoing momentum in the artificial intelligence trend, at least for a company widely regarded as a major pioneer in the field. Nvidia is significantly outperforming the overall market and other tech stocks in the so-called "Magnificent Seven" with substantial capital.
2023 is reminiscent of only 2021 when the company skyrocketed during another mining boom. During that period, Nvidia's primary buyers were various firms, companies, and even individuals involved in cryptocurrency mining. At present, the main revenue stream comes from Artificial Intelligence developers eagerly acquiring high-performance graphics cards.
"In my view, Nvidia is the best player in its class," stated Shana Sissel, CEO of Banrion Capital Management LLC, noting that the company dominates its market, maintains strong customer relationships, and is rapidly evolving. "This company has few weaknesses."
In a strategic move to navigate around new US regulations impacting sales in established markets like China, NVIDIA has found a promising alternative in India. Yotto, an Indian AI firm, has placed a substantial order exceeding $500 million with NVIDIA. This deal marks a significant milestone for both parties, with Yotto propelling advancements in its AI cloud services, and NVIDIA tapping into new opportunities in the burgeoning Indian market.
Yotto's CEO and co-founder, Sunil Gupta, disclosed that the order encompasses 16,000 units of NVIDIA's H100 and GH200 AI GPUs, scheduled for delivery by March 2025. This follows a previous order for 16,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, expected to be delivered by July. The cumulative valuation of these orders surpasses the billion-dollar mark, solidifying Yotto's position among NVIDIA's valued clients. NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, has expressed confidence in the immense potential of the Indian market, foreseeing it as one of the largest globally in the future.
Efforts by the Indian government and businesses to foster technological growth in the country have gained momentum, particularly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Made in India" initiative. AI stands out as a key focus area for Indian firms, and according to Yotto's CEO, the Indian AI market is anticipated to reach $14 billion by 2030, sparking a competitive race among local tech giants.
Users have recently observed a surge of products on various online platforms bearing the warning of violating OpenAI's policy. Messages like "Sorry, but I can't fulfill the request as it contradicts OpenAI's usage policy" have appeared in the descriptions of various items on Amazon and some other online marketplaces. The cause behind this phenomenon remains unknown at the moment.
According to sources, a multitude of products referencing OpenAI policy violations can be found on Amazon by searching for "OpenAI policy." The search results reveal numerous items with similar titles, spanning categories such as furniture, home goods, garden tools, and more. It's worth noting that this issue extends beyond Amazon to other platforms, including the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The problem is likely linked to the widespread use of the ChatGPT AI bot by many Amazon sellers for automating the creation of product listings. Apparently, the algorithm is incorrectly processing queries and inserting warnings into the descriptions of some items. Both Amazon and OpenAI representatives have yet to comment on the matter, leaving the exact cause of these OpenAI policy violation messages in product titles unknown.
In a significant revelation at CES 2024, Gigabyte has unveiled a range of gaming monitors, featuring a groundbreaking design with the world's first DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 connectivity. Among the notable releases is the AORUS FO32U2P, Gigabyte's flagship model, boasting a 32-inch QD-OLED panel crafted by Samsung Display. With a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160, a rapid 240Hz refresh rate, and a 0.03ms response time, the AORUS FO32U2P is positioned as a premium choice for hardcore gamers. Notably, it introduces support for DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20, offering unparalleled display bandwidth, although its practical implementation awaits the next generation of GPUs.
Gigabyte's CES 2024 showcase also includes the AORUS FO27Q3, featuring a 27-inch Samsung QD-OLED panel with an impressive 360 Hz refresh rate. Additionally, the AORUS MO34WQC and AORUS MO34WQC2, 34-inch ultrawide monitors, offer a maximum resolution of 3440 x 1440, with the latter boasting a rapid 0.03ms response time. These AORUS models position themselves competitively in the market, promising cutting-edge features and performance once officially released.
Friday, January 14, 2024. A new milestone in Microsoft's history unfolded as its stocks surged by over 5%, reaching a record market capitalization of $2.888 trillion. This propelled the corporation to the top of the list of the world's most valuable companies, surpassing Apple. Fueled by the growing interest in artificial intelligence, Microsoft outpaced its rivals, reclaiming the leading position.
However, the success was short-lived, as Apple's stocks later regained their ground. Apple's market capitalization dipped to $2.887 trillion, slightly edging past Microsoft. In a swift turn of events, Apple retook the lead when its value reached $2.86 trillion, while Microsoft descended to $2.83 trillion.
Analysts note that Microsoft's success is attributed to the heightened interest in artificial intelligence, supported by being the largest investor in OpenAI. Meanwhile, Apple faces challenges due to declining demand for the iPhone, particularly in China, where competition from Huawei intensifies.
NVIDIA's recent release of the China-exclusive GeForce RTX 4090D GPU has been met with a comprehensive review. Despite being a cut-down version with Total Processing Performance (TPP) constraints, it exhibits performance on par with the standard RTX 4090.
The GALAX GeForce RTX 4090D Metal Master, featuring the AD102-250 GPU, adheres to US policies, avoiding TPP restrictions that led to the creation of the RTX 4090D for the Chinese market. The GPU boasts 14,592 cores, 456 tensor cores, 114 RT cores, and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. Notably, it shares a similar gaming performance with the RTX 4090, despite an 11% reduction in CUDA cores and tensor cores, a slightly lower TGP of 425W, and no support for a Founders Edition model.
In gaming tests at 4K resolution, the RTX 4090D proved to be around 5.8% slower than the RTX 4090, narrowing to 5% with frame generation enabled. The card's retail price in China matches the standard RTX 4090 MSRP at 12,999 RMB. Overclocking within the 425W TGP limit resulted in a 2.3% performance increase in synthetic workloads, indicating a potential 1-2% gain in games.
Despite the reduced number of cores, the RTX 4090D performs commendably, outpacing the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX in rasterized performance. The GPU's power efficiency is evident, with temperatures staying below 70°C for GPU temperature and 76°C for hotspot temperature. With the RTX 4090D, NVIDIA maintains its flagship gaming graphics card position in China, offering robust AI performance.
In the portable gaming device market, the Ayaneo Next Lite emerges as a direct competitor to Valve's Steam Deck. Unlike most options running on Windows, the Ayaneo Next Lite adopts Valve's SteamOS, potentially gaining an advantage with over 13,000 optimized games for the platform.
Specifications for the Ayaneo Next Lite are currently limited, with known features including a 7-inch 800p display, a 47 Wh battery, and Hall sensor-equipped joysticks. Details about the processor model, RAM, storage capacity, and pricing remain undisclosed by the manufacturer.
The pricing strategy is anticipated to position the Next Lite in competition with the Steam Deck, starting at $349. Meanwhile, the gaming console Ayaneo Next, priced at $1315, also exists in the market.
Pre-orders for the Ayaneo Next Lite kick off on January 12, and by that time, more information about the device's specifications and gaming capabilities is expected to be revealed.
ASUS continues its experiment with graphics cards devoid of traditional power connectors. Last year, the company introduced the unique TX Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 BTF, and now it unveils ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 BTF and TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super BTF. All feature a blade connector, eliminating the need for extra cables, with ASUS also introducing a compatible motherboard.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF motherboard supports the BTF concept with rear-mounted connectors. It features the ASUS PCIe High-Power connector for BTF graphics accelerators, delivering up to 600W. Special cases with rear connector relocation are required for installing such motherboards.
ASUS also introduced an adapter allowing the use of blade-connector graphics cards, even on motherboards lacking the GC-HPWR connector. The company may eventually sell PCs with BTF components, drawing other manufacturers into this innovative concept.
As the gaming community awaits the release of Nintendo's new console in 2024, analyst Serkan Toto shares insights. According to him, the upcoming version of the Nintendo Switch will be an enhanced model priced at $400 and will not bring revolutionary changes. Previous rumors about a Pro version, as claimed by Toto, seem to be validated.
The analyst notes that despite possible innovations, the design of the new console will likely resemble the current model. He also speculates that game prices may increase from the traditional $60 to $70, aligning with current trends in the new-generation gaming console market.
In just a few hours, NVIDIA is set to host its CES 2024 "Special Address" livestream where the company plans to reveal its highly anticipated RTX 40 SUPER GPUs and more.
Following AMD's CES 2024 "Advance AI" event by just an hour, NVIDIA will take the spotlight at CES 2024 with its "Special Address," promising significant announcements, including the full unveiling of the long-teased GeForce RTX 40 SUPER GPUs.
Stay tuned to the virtual NVIDIA Special Address at CES, focusing on consumer technologies and robotics, on Monday, January 8, at 8 a.m. PT.
The NVIDIA CES 2024 "Special Address" will be divided into two parts—one dedicated to the GeForce side, covering gaming, creation, and AI PCs, while the other is expected to delve into standard consumer tech and robotics development.
It will be intriguing to see what NVIDIA has in store for the RTX 40 SUPER series and what additional software-related announcements they might make. Perhaps a new game bundle, collaborations with developers/publishers, or something entirely groundbreaking.
Overall, it's shaping up to be a packed day with numerous announcements. Let us know what you are most looking forward to in the comments below.
